Improving the Preanalytical Process: The Focus on Specimen Quality

Abstract

Improving the Preanalytical Process: The Focus on Specimen Quality Trends in clinical laboratory practice place more demands on the quality of patient specimens. Advances in analytical performance (i.e., increased automation, reduced sample volume, increased assay sensitivity), as well as efficiency and cost reduction gains (i.e., throughput, test turnaround time) have improved medical practice. These changes, however, have caused an increased incidence of preanalytical errors, dictating the need for higher-quality specimens. The following paper addresses these errors in addition to methodologies for improving the quality of the preanalytical phase.